Low GI Jowar Vermicelli Upma

Hi,

This is the latest in my series of experiments with grains other than the wheat and rice we typically eat. I found a packet of Jowar Vermicelli at the local super market and thought it was worth a try. Now, I typically make vermicelli upma with wheat vermicelli and vegetables, so I figured the same recipe should work with a few tweaks for Jowar vermicelli. For the most part, the recipe worked just fine, except that the end result was a little stickier and didn't dry out as nicely as wheat vermicelli does, but no complaints with respect to the taste.

Here are the GI facts. 180 gms of cooked wheat vermicelli has a GL of 16 and a GI of 35-40 (unfortunately, I don't have the figures for Jowar, but I believe they may be a little higher than wheat). Those are reasonable figures, but we do want to bring it down to about 10 or 11 for it to be truly low GI. So, as usual, we use our favorite method to bring down GI and amp up nutrition. We add veggies. 120 gms of vermicelli makes about 300 gms of cooked vermicelli. That's typically enough to serve three people for breakfast. So, my guess is each serving should not have a GI greater than 10 or 11.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients for Upma:
100 gms of Jowar vermicelli or regular wheat vermicelli
Very small piece of ginger grated
One big onion chopped finely
1 medium carrot chopped into small pieces
1 small bowl chopped cabbage
1 small potato chopped into small pieces
2-3 green chilis slit length-wise
1 small tomato chopped finely
3 cups water
Oil to taste
Salt to taste

For tempering:
4-5 curry leaves

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp dehusked black gram (urad dal)
Peanuts (optional)


Method:

Roast the vermicelli in a little oil or ghee until lightly browned.

In a non-stick wok (I recommend this as this Jowar vermicelli tends to be a little sticky), heat up some oil and toss in the mustard seeds and black gram. Fry until the black gram turns orange. Then, throw in the curry leaves. Once the leaves are fried, add the onions, green chilis and grated ginger and fry for 4-5 mins on medium heat. Then add the remaining vegetables and fry them for 4-5 mins on medium heat. Add salt to taste. Cover and cook until the vegetables are done.

Add three cups of water (you may need less water for wheat vermicelli.) and cover until the water starts to boil. Put in the roasted vermicelli and cook until the water is absorbed. Cover and cook on low flame for another 5 mins. Turn off the flame and keep the lid on for another 5-10 mins.













You can roast some peanuts in a little oil and add them to the upma, if you like.

Serve hot :). Tell me how it turned out.

Guggillu (Vegetarian and Low Glycemic Index snack made of chana dal)

Ingredients:

Chana Dal  - 100 gms
Red Chili/Green Chili - 2 whole (cut into small pieces)
Black small mustard seeds (Avalu or Rai in Hindi) - 1 teaspoon
Onions - 2 (chopped into very small pieces)
Curry leaves (optional) - 3-4
Asofetida - a pinch
Red chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Servings (2-3)

Method:

Wash the dal and put it in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Let the whistle blow once on a high flame and then turn the heat down and cook for a further 15 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil the dal using some of the methods given here http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html.

No matter which method you use, the important thing is to ensure that after cooking, the dal is soft enough to chew and yet, retains its shape.

In the time it takes the dal to cook, you can prepare the seasoning. To do this, heat up the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds, the chilis (red or green) and the curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the onions and stir fry them until they become soft. Add the asofetida and the red chili powder and stir fry for a minute.

Add the cooked dal to this mixture and add salt to taste. You can also add some finely chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves to the dal if you like the flavor of cilantro.

This is a wonderfully filling snack and it is ultra low glycemic index.

As per Rick Mendosa's GI Lists page, the gi and glycemic load values for chana dal are ridiculously low :). For 150 gms of boiled chana dal, the Glycemic load is just 3. So I am guessing one serving of this snack should be really low glycemic load wise.

If you try it out, tell me how it turns out.